Guyana signs defence pact with the US at the Pentagon — what it means for Essequibo
President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a Joint Declaration for an Enhanced Defense Partnership at the Pentagon on Wednesday, October 21, in what both governments describe as a significant expansion of military and security cooperation critical to defending Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Under the declaration, the US Department of War resolves to provide sustained defence expertise, multidomain training and combined military exercises with the Guyana Defence Force, supporting Guyana’s efforts to build a modern defence architecture. Cooperation will also strengthen Guyana’s air-domain awareness — its ability to monitor, deter and respond to threats in and around its territory.
A major part of the agreement focuses on confronting narcoterrorist organisations and narcotrafficking networks, building on both countries’ founding roles in the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition and the Shield of the Americas.
To be clear about what this is: it is a joint declaration — a political commitment, not a ratified treaty — and the full text has not been released. But the language about deterring “malign state and non-state actors” lands with an obvious backdrop: Venezuela’s claim over Essequibo, with the border case still before the International Court of Justice.
The declaration is the latest milestone in a strategic relationship that now spans defence, energy, trade and investment and has deepened significantly under Ali. Guyana is also pursuing a critical-minerals memorandum of understanding with the US, described as crucial to the two countries’ collective security — a second pillar of Washington’s interest in Guyana alongside oil.
With the Essequibo case still pending at the ICJ and the oil boom redrawing Guyana’s place in the hemisphere, Washington has now put its strategic weight behind Guyana’s security in black and white.
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